T-Deck MAX get it now

Overview

LILYGO T-Deck MAX is a highly integrated multi-functional development platform based on ESP32-S3, built on the T-Deck Pro foundation with several key upgrades. It integrates A7682E 4G LTE and ES8311 audio on a single board (previously separate versions), adds an XL9555 IO expander for antenna switching and audio routing, and introduces a DRV2605 haptic motor driver for vibration feedback. It features a 3.1-inch e-paper display (GDEQ031T10, 320 × 240) with touch (CST3530), SX1262 LoRa, MIA-M10Q GPS, BHI260AP AI IMU, TCA8418 mechanical keyboard, and SY6970 + BQ27220 battery management.

Suitable for IoT terminals, outdoor devices, smart communication equipment, and portable industrial control applications.

Quick Start

Firmware Flash

Enter download mode before flashing:

1. Hold the BOOT button
2. Press and release the RST button on the back
3. Release the BOOT button

Using LILYGO Spark (Recommended)

Download LILYGO Spark, search for T-Deck Max, and flash the firmware directly.

Firmware	Description	Source
T-Deck-MAX_xxxxx	Factory program	—
crosspoint_lilygo_t_deck_max_xxxx	Reader program	TDeckMax-Reader

Verify Hardware with WireScan

Download the WireScan firmware, open the serial monitor, and confirm all I2C modules are detected.

Example Support

Example	Description
WireScan	I2C device scan — verify all modules on boot
test_wifi	WiFi connection test
test_BHI260AP	Gyroscope (BHI260AP) test
test_GPS	GPS (MIA-M10Q) test
keypad	Keyboard input test
XL9555/read	IO expander read example
XL9555/write	IO expander write example
Elink_paper/touch	Touchscreen basic test
Elink_paper/display	E-paper display example
Elink_paper/test_lvgl	LVGL graphics example
Elink_paper/GDEQ031T10_Arduino	E-paper Arduino driver example
LoRa_sx1262/lora_send	LoRa transmit example
LoRa_sx1262/lora_recv	LoRa receive example
A7682E/test_AT	4G module AT command test
ES8311/playWAV	Play WAV audio example
ES8311/playFormSD	Play audio from TF card
battery/bq25896	Battery charger BQ25896 test
battery/bq27220	Fuel gauge BQ27220 test
battery/sy6974	Charger SY6974 test
motor/basic	Haptic motor basic example
motor/audio	Haptic motor audio feedback
motor/realtime	Haptic motor realtime control
motor/complex	Haptic motor complex patterns
tf_card	TF card read/write test
eng_test	Full hardware integration test

PlatformIO

1. Install Visual Studio Code and Python
2. Search for and install the PlatformIO IDE extension in VS Code, then restart
3. Open the T-Deck-MAX project folder; PlatformIO will auto-download dependencies
4. Open platformio.ini, uncomment the example you want, press Ctrl+S to save
5. Click ✓ to compile, connect via USB, click → to upload

Arduino

1. Install Arduino IDE
2. Copy all folders from the project lib/ directory to your Arduino libraries folder
3. Open the example .ino file
4. In Tools → Board, configure:

Arduino IDE Setting	Value
Board	ESP32S3 Dev Module
Port	Your port
USB CDC On Boot	Enabled
CPU Frequency	240 MHz (WiFi)
Core Debug Level	None
USB DFU On Boot	Disabled
Erase All Flash Before Upload	Disabled
Events Run On	Core 1
Flash Mode	QIO 80 MHz
Flash Size	16MB (128Mb)
Arduino Runs On	Core 1
USB Firmware MSC On Boot	Disabled
Partition Scheme	16M Flash (3MB APP/9.9MB FATFS)
PSRAM	QSPI PSRAM
Upload Mode	UART0 / Hardware CDC
Upload Speed	921600
USB Mode	CDC and JTAG

5. Click Upload

Related Videos

Key Features

• ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 @ 240 MHz, 16 MB Flash, 8 MB PSRAM, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.0 LE
• SX1262 LoRa (433–920 MHz) with selectable internal/external antenna via XL9555
• A7682E 4G LTE Cat 1 (downlink 10 Mbps / uplink 5 Mbps)
• ES8311 audio codec — shared speaker with A7682E, switched via XL9555 IO12
• 3.1-inch GDEQ031T10 e-paper display (320 × 240) with CST3530 touch
• TCA8418 mechanical keyboard controller
• BHI260AP AI IMU (6-axis self-learning)
• MIA-M10Q GNSS module
• XL9555 IO expander — controls antenna selection, audio routing, power amplifier
• DRV2605 haptic motor driver (vibration feedback)
• SY6970 + BQ27220 battery management, 3.7 V 1500 mAh

Specifications

Parameter	Value
MCU	ESP32-S3
Flash	16 MB
PSRAM	8 MB
Wi-Fi	2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 LE
LoRa	SX1262
4G Module	A7682E (LTE Cat 1)
GPS	MIA-M10Q
Display	GDEQ031T10 E-Paper, 320 × 240
Touch	CST3530 (I2C 0x1A)
Keyboard	TCA8418 (I2C 0x34)
IMU	BHI260AP (I2C 0x28)
Audio	ES8311 (I2C 0x18)
IO Expander	XL9555 (I2C 0x20)
Haptic Motor	DRV2605 (I2C 0x5A)
Battery Management	SY6970 (I2C 0x6A) + BQ27220 (I2C 0x55)
Battery	3.7 V, 1500 mAh
USB	1 × Type-C
Storage	TF card slot

Module Notes

A7682E 4G Module

A7682E is an LTE Cat 1 module supporting LTE-FDD/GSM/GPRS/EDGE. Supports voice calls, SMS, and data. Insert a SIM card to enable these functions.

Spec	Value
Frequency Bands	LTE-FDD B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20, GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800 MHz
LTE Cat 1	Downlink 10 Mbps / Uplink 5 Mbps
GPRS	Up to 85.6 Kbps
Supply Voltage	3.4–4.2 V
Protocols	TCP/IP, IPv4/IPv6, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP/FTPS, DNS, SSL
Other	Voice calls, SMS, FOTA, RNDIS/PPP/ECM

The A7682E and ES8311 share the same speaker. Set XL9555 IO12 HIGH to route A7682E audio output. Set XL9555 IO06 HIGH to enable the power amplifier if volume is too low.

ES8311 Audio

Set XL9555 IO12 LOW to route ES8311 audio output. Set XL9555 IO06 HIGH to enable the power amplifier if volume is too low.

LoRa Antenna Selection

Antenna	XL9555 IO04
Internal (default)	HIGH
External	LOW

Pin Diagram

Pin definitions are consolidated in:

lib/TDeckMaxBoard/src/TDeckMaxBoard.h

Include in your sketch with:

#include <TDeckMaxBoard.h>

Full pin map: pinmap

Dimensions

Schematic

• T-Deck MAX Hardware

Datasheet

• ESP32-S3 Datasheet
• SX1262 Datasheet
• A7682E Product Page
• BHI260AP Datasheet

Software Libraries

• T-Deck-MAX GitHub Repository
• TDeckMax-Reader

Dependent Libraries

zinggjm/GxEPD2
jgromes/RadioLib
lewisxhe/SensorLib
mikalhart/TinyGPSPlus
vshymanskyy/TinyGSM
lvgl/lvgl
lewisxhe/XPowersLib
adafruit/Adafruit TCA8418
adafruit/Adafruit BusIO
esphome/ESP32-audioI2S

FAQ

• Q. How to enter download mode? A. Hold BOOT, press and release RST, then release BOOT.

• Q. No sound from speaker. A. Check XL9555 IO12 level (HIGH = A7682E audio, LOW = ES8311 audio). Set IO06 HIGH to enable the power amplifier.

• Q. LoRa not working with external antenna. A. Set XL9555 IO04 LOW to switch to external antenna. Default is internal (HIGH).

• Q. Ghosting on the e-paper display. A. After 5 consecutive fast/partial refreshes, perform a full refresh to clear ghosting.

• Q. Cannot flash firmware. A. Hold BOOT and retry. Ensure the correct partition scheme is selected (16M Flash 3MB APP/9.9MB FATFS).

Changelog

Version	Date	Notes
V1.0	—	Initial release — XL9555 IO expander, integrated 4G + audio, DRV2605 haptic motor